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Cookson and Lappartient make final pitch to voting delegates on eve on UCI Presidential election

Incumbent Brian Cookson and French challenger David Lappartient will discover tomorrow who will win the election to become the International Cycling Union (UCI) President at the governing body’s Congress here.

The Congress is due to take place on the rest day of the UCI Road Cycling World Championships.

Cookson, elected President in 2013 after a bitter race against Ireland’s Pat McQuaid, will be seeking to secure a second term in office.

The 66-year-old Briton claimed last week at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Lima that he was confident of the support of 30 of the 45 voting delegates assembled this week.

It is thought the race will be a far closer affair, though,, with as little as one or two votes likely to separate the two candidates.

The voters include nine delegates each from Africa, the Americas and Asia, with three more from Oceania.

Europe has the largest bloc with 15 delegates.

It is expected that Lappartient will receive a strong amount of support in this bloc, given the Frenchman has served as the European Cycling Union President (UEC) since 2013.

Should the former French Cycling Federation President receive unanimous support it would be a significant boost to his election chances, although Cookson has expressed his hope of earning the backing of several European delegates.

The Briton is expected to have support in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

Cookson has claimed former rival McQuaid has been actively campaigning for Lappartient to win the election, with suggestions the Frenchman had offered him the position of UCI Honorary President.

He has called for the voting delegates to judge him as a candidate who has delivered change and enhance the governing body’s credibility.

"The UCI is unrecognisable from the chaotic and dysfunctional state it was in when I took over as President four years ago, cycling was broken and its credibility lay in tatters under the old regime," Cookson said.

"Our transformation has not happened by chance, but through a huge amount of hard work and determination to transform the UCI into a world class governing body which sets a global standard.

"Voting delegates have a clear choice between someone who has kept his word, delivered change, and restored the UCI’s credibility, and someone who has allied himself with, and is supported by, the forces of the past."

Lappartient’s camp have rejected claims the 44-year-old has sought the support of McQuaid, claiming the former UCI President has been acting on his own.

Having sought to distance himself from McQuaid, who is in attendance here at the Championships, Lappartient has vowed to put himself at the service of National Federations, should he be elected tomorrow.

Campaigning with the slogan "Our Passion", Lappartient has claimed he has demonstrated his credentials during his two terms at the French Cycling Federation and as President of the UEC.

"Over the past few months, I have shared with you my four-year plan to genuinely develop cycling worldwide," Lappartient said.

"I have listened to all of you and understand your needs.

"National Federations are the backbone of the UCI and with me as the President, your voice will be heard and your concerns addressed.

About the author

Since joining insidethegames.biz in 2015, Michael Pavitt has covered a variety of international multi-sport events, including the Baku 2015 European Games, the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, Sapporo 2017 Asian Winter Games and Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade. He also reported on the UCI Presidential election in Bergen in 2017, as well as attending the IOC Session in Lima and three ANOC General Assemblies.

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Fact of the day

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Iranian judoka Arash Miresmaeili was disqualified for weighing in at nearly four pounds above the limit for his weight class of his under-66 kilograms match against an Israeli opponent Ehud Vaks in the first round. It was claimed Miresmaeili had gone on an eating binge to protest the International Olympic Committee's recognition of the state of Israel. Iran does not recognise the state of Israel, and Miresmaeili's actions won praise from high-ranking Iranian officials. Mohammad Khatami, the country's President at the time, was quoted as saying Miresmaili's actions would be "recorded in the history of Iranian glories". He was later awarded $125,000 by the Government - the same amount given to Olympic gold medallists.

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